What Size Furnace Do I Need for a Minnesota House?
Furnace size comes from a Manual J heat loss at a -15°F design day, not square feet. Input vs output BTU, AFUE, why old furnaces run big and what to ask for.
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Central Minnesota Heating and Cooling repairs and replaces furnaces, ACs, heat pumps and boilers in Jordan (Scott County), about 28 miles from downtown Minneapolis.
Jordan is an old Minnesota River valley town on Sand Creek, home to the Mini Met ballpark, and it has added a lot of new housing along US-169 since 2000.
Electricity in Jordan comes from Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative or Xcel Energy depending on the address.
Updated October 27, 2026 · By Eric Brown, owner, Central Minnesota Heating and Cooling

Around town: Mini Met ballpark · Sand Creek · U.S. Highway 169 · Minnesota River · Downtown Jordan
Book in JordanJordan's downtown sits in the valley where Sand Creek runs toward the Minnesota River, and the older neighborhoods climb the slopes around it. Some of those 1880s–1920s houses sit on sloping lots, with one basement wall at grade and the other buried, which makes for uneven basements: a cold, damp back wall, a warmer front and a furnace set wherever the chimney happened to be. Many also carry a later kitchen or bedroom addition over a crawlspace.
Ramblers and split-levels filled in from the 1950s through the 1980s. Growth picked up after 2000, with subdivisions on higher ground near Highway 169 and Highway 282, built with 90%-plus furnaces venting through PVC and central air as standard. Jordan's population grew by nearly three-quarters between 2000 and 2020, so a large share of homes are now in their first replacement cycle, and finished lower levels in those houses are where most comfort complaints start.
Jordan's valley setting cuts both ways in January. Downtown and along Sand Creek, cold air drains down and pools on still nights, and old houses there with little insulation need all the capacity their furnace has. Up in the newer subdivisions, open ground lets wind pile snow against PVC vents and condensers. Older houses with a furnace and water heater sharing an unlined brick chimney can draft poorly on the coldest mornings, one more reason to keep CO alarms working near every bedroom.
Sand Creek and the Minnesota River bottoms make the low parts of Jordan humid all summer, and basements in the older houses near the creek can stay damp enough to need a dehumidifier. Newer homes on higher ground run into the two-story problem instead: hot upstairs bedrooms and a cool lower level on one thermostat. Cottonwoods along the creek and river shed fluff in June that mats on condenser coils, so a rinse after it stops falling keeps the AC breathing.
CenterPoint's heating rebates cover high-efficiency furnaces, boilers and thermostats with the dealer you choose. Electric programs depend on the address. Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative ties its air-source and ductless heat pump rebates to enrollment in its off-peak program and requires a Quality Installation contractor for most of them. Xcel Energy customers use Xcel's heat pump and cooling rebates; ask whether the rebate needs a registered contractor. Farms on propane miss the gas-side rebates.
Rebate programs change every year; check the utility's current terms before you buy. Our guides: Xcel and CenterPoint rebates, heat pump rebates, what happened to the federal credits.
Central Minnesota Heating and Cooling, owned by Eric Brown and in business since 2009, serves Jordan and nearby towns in Scott County, about 28 miles from downtown Minneapolis. We're open 7 days, 7am–9pm, and no-heat calls get priority. Call 612-429-3465.
An HVAC service call in Jordan is a flat $79 trip charge, waived when you approve the repair. You get a written price before any work. Installed prices are on our pricing page.
Being on Minnesota Valley Electric affects the paperwork and possibly your rate. Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative runs its own rebate programs, separate from Xcel's, and co-ops have offered off-peak or dual-fuel rates for heat pumps paired with a backup heat source. Ask MVEC what's current before you decide, since those programs change the payback. We size the heat pump with a Manual J and ask whether the co-op's rebate needs a registered contractor.
Sometimes. We check whether the furnace has spare capacity for the added load and whether a duct can reach the new room without starving the rest of the house. Older furnaces are often oversized, so capacity is rarely the issue; the duct path usually is. When a clean run isn't possible, a ductless heat pump head heats and cools the addition on its own.
Yes, a damp side can affect the furnace. A furnace or water heater on the damp side sits in higher humidity, which rusts cabinets, burners and vent connectors faster. We check the base, the vent and the burner area for corrosion. Setting the equipment on a raised pad, sealing the return so it doesn't pull basement air, and running a dehumidifier in summer all help. Fixing grading and gutters outside is often the bigger win.
Look from outside for missing mortar, crumbling brick and a missing cap, and have the draft and vent connectors checked at the furnace and water heater. Old brick flues that vent gas appliances can deteriorate from the inside as condensation attacks the mortar, and debris collects at the base. A cleanout inspection and a CO test during the tune-up catch most problems. A liner fixes a flue that's past saving.
Furnace size comes from a Manual J heat loss at a -15°F design day, not square feet. Input vs output BTU, AFUE, why old furnaces run big and what to ask for.
Read the guideA communicating HVAC system links thermostat, furnace and outdoor unit by data. The features it adds, the lock-in, and when it pays off in Minnesota homes.
Read the guideA furnace pressure switch proves the inducer is venting exhaust before the gas can open. Why it trips in a Minnesota winter, what you can check, and the cost.
Read the guideBrands we service in Jordan: Carrier · Trane · Lennox · Goodman · Rheem · Mitsubishi Electric · Daikin · American Standard · Navien · Weil-McLain · and every other major brand
Heat out in Jordan? Call or send a request.